Lori Riis spent upward of $100,000 in the mid-1980s trying to obtain the permit necessary for a 50-horse stabling operation in North County.

The effort ultimately failed, and Riis now operates Rancho Los Amigos, boarding about 80 horses in South Bay.

But if Riis was seeking the same permit she was denied years ago, it would cost her about $1,000 under a revamped county equine ordinance due for adoption this summer.

“It’s going to make a tremendous difference,” Riis said of the new ordinance. “I didn’t think it was ever going to be possible.

County Supervisor Dianne Jacob says horse owners and small boarding stables have been saddled with unreasonable zoning regulations and excessive fees for far too long.

“When it comes to allowing stables, we need to take a more sensible, tiered approach so more people can take part in equine activities,” she said.

And the county’s doing just that, making it and in many instances cost-free easier to obtain permits for horse operations in unincorporated regions.

It’s an issue that touches many rural areas of the county, such as Fallbrook, Ramona, Bonita and Lakeside.

It also hearkens Old West themes, the days when housekeeping was commonplace, and the economics of the equine industry and backcountry lifestyle that adherents hold dear.

“San Diego County is horse country,” Jacob said. “As a former horse owner and longtime rider, I think these changes will also strengthen the economic vitality of our rural areas.”

The revised regulations proposed as an amendment to the county zoning ordinance establishes tiers that correspond to the intensity of boarding and use. As use and the number of horses increase, so do permit obligations.

The existing ordinance written in the 1970s was a one-size-fits-all that mandated most stables obtain a major use permit that could cost up to $60,000 or more.

Riding to the rescue was the San Diego Equestrian Foundation, which was formed by Michell Anne Kimball to lobby the county to review and relax the regulations. The group picked the right time to press the issue, appearing before the Board of Supervisors in early 2011 asking for relief. It was the same year then-board chairman Bill Horn made reducing red tape one of the county’s primary goals.

“The restrictions are hampering an industry vital to rural communities,” said Horn, who along with Jacob pushed for the changes.

The process leading to those recommendations has been overseen by Carl Stiehl, a county land-use planner.

“We’re going to be the first large county in Southern California not to require a major-use permit,” Stiehl said. “This will definitely position us as one of the least restrictive counties.”

There is some opposition to the proposals, particularly on provisions that allow up to 10 horses per acre.

Evelyn Alemanni of Elfin Forest near Escondido said the county is bending over backward to appease a small number of people.

The ordinance also doesn’t sufficiently address waste and water issues, she said.

“It’s not well though out,” Alemanni said. “Horses create a lot of waste and methane and a huge potential for polluting the groundwater. The effect of the ordinance is to change the rural character of our neighborhoods and that is just not right.”